Saint Paul’s School has produced top athletes in every single sport, which includes 4 MLB, 2 NFL draft picks, and many other players earning collegiate scholarships to play sports.

Soccer

Saint Paul’s most successful sport, soccer, has produced countless players who went on to play at the collegiate level, but head coach Sean Moser highlighted a few legends. These include Cam Robinson ‘13, Adrian Mcinnis ‘10, and Michael Dufour ‘20. 

Robinson has recently returned to coaching at Saint Paul’s after his successful playing career was over. Robinson played college soccer for four years at Furman University. In his senior year, he started in three games but still made a major impact.

McInnis also played at Furman University, briefly playing with Robinson during his senior year in college. McInnis had more success in his college career than Robinson. He started in 30 games during his sophomore through senior years combined, while playing through injury his junior year, earning Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll recognition each year. In his senior season, he allowed only 14 goals in 22 matches as a defensive midfielder.

In addition, Dufour was a standout player in his junior and senior years, winning the state championship both seasons, going undefeated his senior year, and earning all-state honors both years. He also won the state championship MVP both years, while scoring a hat trick (3 goals) in his junior year.

Football

Saint Paul’s football produced many amazing players such as Nilo Silvan ’91, Houston Bates ’10, and Cody Corales ’26.

Bates had a successful college career at LA Tech and Illinois, to the extent that he went undrafted in 2015, signing with the Washington Redskins. During his short two-year career in the NFL, he played in 24 games, making 17 tackles and one safety. He also still holds many of the records for his position at Saint Paul’s.

Silvan broke nearly every single record for his position at Saint Paul’s, which he still holds onto this day. After his dominant high school career, he committed to the University of Tennessee, where he received punts and kicks for his entire college career. He was mainly known for his speed and return ability and rarely played receiver.

Silvan was drafted to the NFL in the sixth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although he didn’t play much in the NFL, he’s widely regarded as the best overall athlete to attend Saint Paul’s of all time.

Football has had recent talent as well. Its star running back Corales is one of the best football players in Saint Paul’s history. He has broken many records in the past two seasons.

He recently finished his senior season after breaking many rushing records. Next year, he is going to play for Southeastern Louisiana University, where he will partner back up with Drew Talley ’25, Dylan Post ’26, and Gage Brown ’26, who are all people he has played with at Saint Paul’s.

Saint Paul’s athletic director, Sam Francis, coached Corales and was with him every step of the way from his pre-freshman season to his commitment to Southeastern as a senior. Francis said he was always able to rely on Corales to be there and to put in an amazing effort and work harder than anyone on the team.

“Cody has always tried his hardest, and you can always count on him to show up every day to practice and every game. He was also an amazing team captain who would lead the whole team by his example. In addition, he is one of the hardest-working people that I have ever met. He is always trying to better himself, so that he can show everyone what to do and correctly do it,” Francis said.

Baseball

One of the school’s oldest and most successful sports, baseball, has had many impactful players, but none of those compare to its four MLB draft picks. These include Kade Anderson ’23, Ryan Schimpf ’06, Tanner Rainey ’11, and Andy Cannizaro ’97.

Kade Anderson ’23 was recently drafted third overall in the MLB by the Mariners after leading his LSU team to a National Championship in 2025, where he won Most Outstanding Player of the 2025 College World Series.

He’s regarded as the most sought-after and drafted player from Saint Paul’s. During his time at Saint Paul’s, he was a three-time All-State selection and four-time All-District, making him the #2 left-handed pitcher in Louisiana for the class of 2023.

Another dominant player, Rainey, has had a very successful career after high school. He signed with Southeastern University, but he transferred to West Alabama University the summer going into his senior season. After a breakout season at Western Alabama, he was drafted in the second round of the MLB draft by the Cincinnati Reds, where he went on to win a World Series in 2019 with the Washington Nationals. After six seasons with the Nationals, he moved to the Detroit Tigers and has been playing for the Detroit Tigers to this day.

Another draft pick, Schimpf, was drafted in the fifth round by the Toronto Blue Jays after his college career at Louisiana State University. During the 2009 season at LSU, he hit 22 home runs, helping him make Second-Team All-SEC and the College World Series All-Tournament Team. He won National League Rookie of the Month in 2016 for the San Diego Padres.

During his time in the MLB, he made his debut with the Padres in 2016 and stayed with them for two years before moving to the Los Angeles Angels. Throughout his whole career, he hit 35 home runs and 78 RBIs. Although he had a successful career in the MLB, he retired from the game of baseball in 2018.

Next, Cannizaro played at Tulane University as a starter for four years and an All-American for two of those years. He helped Tulane make it to its first College World Series in 2001. After his Tulane playing career, he was drafted in the seventh round of the MLB draft by the New York Yankees. After bouncing around from team to team for a few years, he retired from playing and moved into coaching.

In his first five years trying to move up the coaching ladder, he was stuck being a scout for the Yankees. After those years, he moved on to actual coaching at LSU, where he was a recruiting coordinator and hitting coach.

In his time as a hitting coach, he developed multiple All-Americans, for example, Alex Bregman, who was drafted second overall in the MLB draft and has been a force in the league his whole career. After all Cannizaro’s success at LSU, he was hired to be the Head Baseball Coach at Mississippi State, where he went 40-30 as a coach.

After his two mediocre seasons at Mississippi State, he was relieved of his duties and went on to coach at his dad’s alma mater, Holy Cross High School, where he was for three seasons before being let go. There is no clear reason as to why he got fired; the team just stated that they were going in a different direction.

Lacrosse

Another successful sport in Saint Paul’s history is the lacrosse team, which has had many great players, including Kyle Olsen ’26, Luke Posner ’14, Chris Dill ’12, Ryan Flood ’17, and Chris Flood ’19.

Recently, they have had excellent talent like Olsen, who is on track to be the best lacrosse player in Saint Paul’s history. After multiple successful years of summer and spring lacrosse, Olsen committed to Stephens Institute of Technology.

He has also broken nearly every record for his position. He has been a constant force that other teams have struggled to go against. For example, he went against a Division III player as a junior in high school, and he dominated him. There is no chance that he will not dominate the Division III playing field next year.

Posner is also regarded as one of the best lacrosse players to ever attend Saint Paul’s. During his time at Saint Paul’s, he earned All-State honors in both his junior and senior seasons and earned All-American honors in his senior season.

After being successful at Saint Paul’s, he committed to Tampa University, where he made Second Team All-SSC honors. Even though he didn’t earn many accolades during college, he was a vital part of the team for all of his time there.

Another player who was mentioned a lot, Chris Dill, was the best defender to attend Saint Paul’s. He was a star defender for Saint Paul’s, earning All-State and All-American honors. He had some of the best stats in Saint Paul’s history. For example, in his senior season, he had over 50 ground balls and 32 takeaways. When he was a senior, he was invited to the U19 Louisiana All-Star team, Quick Stick.

During his college years, he played for Limestone University from 2013 to 2015, winning the Division Two National Championship in 2014.

In addition, Mac Bulloch ’11, a Jesuit attackman who played on Quickstick with Dill, saw how unstoppable he was from both sides by playing against him during school games and travel teams.

“He was by far the best defender and hardest worker I have ever seen. He was working harder than every single person on the field at all times. While doing all this, he was able to lead our entire Quick Stick team while barely knowing most of us. He always knew exactly where to be and how to position himself to be the best he possibly could to succeed,” Bulloch said.

During Saint Paul’s only two lacrosse state championships, they had a dynamic duo of brothers come through the program, Chris and Ryan Flood. Chris was a star attackman who helped his team go 20-0 in his junior year. On the other hand, Ryan was two years younger, but he was awarded an All-American selection in 2016.

After high school, they both committed to playing lacrosse in college. Ryan played at Belmont Abbey College, and Chris committed to Seton Hill University, where he was on the G-MAC Academic All-Conference team his freshman year.

Basketball

The Saint Paul’s basketball team has been around for decades, and it has had multiple star players rise through its program, including Scott Cyprian ’91, Parker Edwards ’18, and John Keller ’80.

First, Parker Edwards was a dominant scorer while at Saint Paul’s, averaging nearly 24 points per game. This helped him earn the status of having the 2nd most points in school history. While carrying the Wolves to their only state championship finals appearance in their history, he was named to the First-team All-District multiple years, winning District MVP his senior year.

He also helped his team make the state playoffs every season. After high school, he played for Southeastern University, where he didn’t play much, but in a game against LSU, he scored 25 points in only 10 minutes on the court.

Afterwards, he transferred to Louisiana State University, where he couldn’t play his sophomore season since he was redshirted. Although he didn’t really make up for it in his junior and senior seasons, he was still able to go to school and earn a degree completely free.

Edwards was very affected by Saint Paul’s, saying it still helps to this day. “Saint Paul’s was the best 5 years of my life. It also unlocked a spiritual side to me that I didn’t know I even had. Saint Paul’s truly brought the best of me, and I wouldn’t be the man I am today without those 5 years. It is a place I can call home forever,” Edwards said.

The leading scorer Saint Paul’s history, Cyprian, led his team to the playoffs in both of his seasons. During his years on the team, he scored enough points for him to still hold the school scoring record to this day.

While dominating those two seasons, he was named to First-Team All District both seasons and achieved District MVP in his senior season. After all of his high school awards and accolades, he only played one year of college basketball at Southern University.

On the other hand, Keller was a subtle but amazing player for the program, dominating the early 80s. He helped his team make the playoffs in 1979 and 1980 and reach the state quarterfinals in one of those years.

He was also awarded First-Team All-District honors for both of those years, and he was the District MVP in his senior year. Afterward, he did not play college basketball, despite a very successful high school career.

Wrestling

As for the wrestling wolves, they have had many individual and team state championships. Some of their best include Jackson Peak ’25, Connor Campo ’13, Peyton Ward ’21, Jacob Houser ’22, and Korey Miller ’11, who have each won at least one individual state championship.

First off, Campo is widely regarded as the best wrestler to ever attend Saint Paul’s. He was a two-time NCAA Division III All-American at Wartburg College, while going 97-31 throughout his college career.

During his high school career, however, he was a two-time state champion and an All-American at Asics folk style nationals, while being ranked #1 overall his senior year.

Other accolades he earned in college included being named All-Conference for all 4 years, winning the NCAA Central Regional Title for 3 consecutive years, and winning 4 meets.

Another wrestler, Jackson Peak, is currently competing in college and thriving under excellent coaching at Saint Paul’s. Peak committed to Wisconsin-Eau Claire after winning the 215-pound State Championship in his senior season. After his successful 22-2 career in high school, he has moved on to wrestling in college.

Peak had one of the most dominant high school careers, where he explained how the core principles that Saint Paul’s lives by shaped his life.

“The 5 core principles made me a better athlete. The two that stick out for me are respect for all persons and faith in the presence of God. Respecting your opponents and their ability is a big part of learning and continuing to grow as a person and as an athlete. Faith in the presence of God had a major impact on my career, and where I’m at now, my faith has kept me calm in stressful, hard matches and times. The community around Saint Paul’s and the faculty and staff that support everyone have also been super impactful,” Peak said.

Next, Ward, the wrestling wolves’ only recipient of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award, earned it after becoming a two-time State Champion and maintaining stellar grades throughout his career.

After multiple state championships and a 2021 team state title, he decided not to pursue wrestling in college and committed to his studies at Louisiana State University.

Another wrestler who contributed to the team’s 2021 state championship was Houser, who won two individual state championships but did not play in college.

Although he didn’t play in college, he had a very successful high school career, going 39-0 in his senior season, which earned him the state championship.

Another wrestler who had an extremely dominant three seasons, Miller, won three straight individual state championships. He is one of the only two wrestlers to win four consecutive individual championships at the Louisiana Classic Tournament.

During his senior state championship run, he won the 152-pound division while beating a rival from another school in sudden-death overtime. Although he didn’t wrestle in college, he was a successful high school wrestler, and he was being recruited by many high-level Division I colleges.

Track and Field and Cross Country

Even though Saint Paul’s Track and Field and Cross Country teams have had many successful athletes, Eric Coston ’16, Jacob Khashou ’24, and Zach Albright ’14 stood out.

Coston had an extremely successful high school career, earning many accolades. For example, he was named a two-time cross-country state champion, 2016 Gatorade Louisiana Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year, nine-time Class 5A state champion on the track, and an 11th-place finish at the 2015 Foot Locker South Regional, which was the third-highest finish ever by a Louisiana runner. He then committed to Louisiana State University, where he stayed and competed for five years.

As a freshman in college, he recorded four Top 25 finishes and led the men’s team in four of their seven races. Next, as a sophomore, he achieved his best finish of the season, leading the Tigers with an eighth-place individual finish.

Afterward, in his Junior season, he was named to the All-Louisiana Men’s Cross Country Team, also the LSWA Men’s Runner of the Year, and the All-Region Team (South Central). He was able to earn a second overall finish after running a PR (Personal Record).

In his senior season, he was the second-highest LSU finisher in all of the team’s meets. After a successful four-year career, he attended graduate school, where he was named to the All-LSWA Team.

Meanwhile, Albright had an equally successful high school career. In his senior year, he was awarded New Orleans Metro MVP in track and field, Louisiana Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year, and the Louisiana Wendy’s High School Heisman.

He was also a National Merit Finalist and the Valedictorian, which helped secure his admission to multiple Ivy League schools, including Princeton, where he committed. During his time at Princeton, he improved all of his personal bests while earning a superior Ivy League education.

Khashou was another one of the star track athletes that Saint Paul’s has had go through its program. During his time at Saint Paul’s, he earned multiple awards and records.

For example, he holds the school records in the 4x100m and 4x200m relays, is a two-time Athlete of the Year, and received an offer from the University of Tampa to run Track and Field at the Division II level.

So far in college, he was named to the Second-Team All-Sunshine State Conference in the 4×100 Relay, and he was also named the Sunshine State Conference Sprinter of the Week. These are all very good accolades for an athlete who is only in his sophomore season of college so far.

Khashou is just one of the many track athletes who have benefited from the superior coaching and training Saint Paul’s offers.

“Saint Paul’s helped me grow as an athlete in so many different ways. It taught me how to play with passion but also with respect. The coaches around me, like Coach Al and Coach Moser, were huge parts of my success because they prepared me with the right drills, mindset, and environment,” Khashou said.

Another track athlete who gained vital information during his time at Saint Paul’s was William Leahy, who is currently ranked 26th in the world for CrossFit, according to CrossFitGames.com.

“Saint Paul’s gave me the foundation of confidence in my ability, structure, and work ethic that I carry into every aspect of my life. It prepared me – not just academically – but for the journey beyond high school to become the athlete and person I am today,” Leahy said.

During Leahy’s time at Saint Paul’s, he broke the 400M school record, which still stands today.

Golf

Golf, one of Saint Paul’s most successful sports, has featured many outstanding players in its program, including Chip Sullivan ’82, Brandon Pierce ’13, Beau Briggs ’15, and Joshua Achord ’23.

First, Sullivan had the most successful post-high school golf career out of every player to ever play for Saint Paul’s. After being an LA State Junior Champ, he committed to the University of Mississippi, where he was an individual SEC Champion. He was also awarded All-SEC first team honors in 1986, All-American, and was a member of the 1984 SEC Championship Team.

After his excellent Ole Miss career, he joined the PGA Tour, where he qualified for only three events, but he won more than 80 mini-tour and PGA-sanctioned events, including the PGA Professional National Championship in Oregon. Now, he works as the PGA Head Golf Pro at the Bayou Oaks Golf Course in City Park.

Also, Pierce, who was the most successful during his career at Saint Paul’s, committed to Louisiana State University after receiving numerous awards, a successful AJGA career, and strong showings and wins in numerous junior golf events.

He was honored as a Junior Second-Team All-American and was regarded as a consensus top player in the country. During the school season, he was named to the All-District team back-to-back years and earned an All-State selection in 2012.

During his freshman season, which was cut short due to injury, he played in three tournaments and earned his first collegiate top-10 finish at the Louisiana Classics. In his sophomore season, he was recovering from an injury in the fall, but he was the top-ranked player and leading scorer for the LSU team that swept the SEC and NCAA championships and was named an All-American and Second-Team All-SEC.

During his career, he helped lead his team to an NCAA Championship in 2015, earned 12 top-10 finishes in 34 appearances, and averaged 71.16 in his sophomore year, ranking him No. 2 in school history.

Another star golfer who attended Saint Paul’s was Briggs. He was one of 12 players nationwide named an HP Scholastic Junior All-American by the AJGA (American Junior Golf Association). In addition, he had three top-10 finishes at AJGA Open events. After earning these awards and superior academic standing with a 4.45 GPA and a 33 on the ACT, he committed to the University of Mississippi.

In his freshman season at Ole Miss, he competed in six tournaments with his highest finish being 28th. Then in his sophomore year, he played in only three tournaments, with his highest finish being 22nd. In his junior year, he played in 10 tournaments and posted a 73.4 stroke average, the third-best on the team.

During the summer before his senior year, he qualified and competed in the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach. He then played in eight events during his senior season, recording the team’s best stroke average of 71.74.

Also, he led the team in top-five finishes (3) and top-10 finishes (4), and he also shot 14 rounds at par or better. Meanwhile, he was earning superior academics throughout his whole career, which earned him a $10,000 post-grad scholarship from the NCAA.

Another star player who led Saint Paul’s to a State Championship was Achord. He won a Team State Championship in his sophomore year and an Individual State Championship in his junior year. Also, he was a top-10 finisher in the Louisiana Junior Amateur Championships for three years in a row.

When he began his college career at the University of South Alabama, he achieved his highest finish to date: 10th place in the Louisiana State Amateur in the summer of 2024. Although he is only in his junior year right now, he has shown flashes of how he can be a major impact for the South Alabama Jaguars.

Powerlifting

Powerlifting, one of Saint Paul’s most successful sports, has had many amazing players come through their program, including Josh Kellum, Chandler Loescher, and Zach Montz.

First of all, Loescher and Montz competed in a powerlifting competition in Turkey, where Loescher won first place in his weight class. Also, Montz competed in the 130-pound weight class, and he earned silver for squats and deadlifts, and he earned a bronze for bench press.

Overall, these accolades are absolutely astounding for their weight. Loescher is also a teenage World Champion, holds the record for the biggest bench press in LA high school history at 555 pounds, and he has recently founded Chanabolic Strength. However, Montz also has some impressive accolades himself. For instance, he is a 2x National Champion, a member of Team USA ’22, and is ranked as the third-best powerlifter in the world for his age and weight.

Loescher is just another one of the many athletes who have gained life-changing advice from his experience at Saint Paul’s. Additionally, the superior coaching Saint Paul’s offers has changed his life significantly.

“Coach Jesse definitely played a big role in how disciplined I am when it comes to working hard and achieving my goals and dreams, and doing whatever it takes to reach the top, and being at Saint Paul’s really showed me what true brotherhood is,” Loescher said.

Another power lifter who benefited from Saint Paul’s brotherhood and values was Zach Montz. For example, he claimed that his time at Saint Paul’s shaped him into the man he is today.

“I would definitely say that Saint Paul’s made me the man I am today. Looking back, I see that the brotherhood was something I will never take for granted. I’m still friends with all my friends from SPS, and Saint Paul’s shaped us, where we pushed each other to be the best men we could be. We are always there for each other, and as an athlete, it’s the most important aspect of teamwork,” Montz said.

Last but certainly not least, Joshua Kellum is a three-time state champion, All-American, and National Champion. He won the high school and teen National Championship after winning many high school meets, and he qualified for the National Championship after his win in the Covington qualifier.

Rugby

They have had many players come through their program, but several rugby coaches have highlighted a few. For instance, Hayden Coutrado ’18, Ben Dufour ’21, Konnor Blanchard ’22, and Shawn Williams ’22 were some of their best.

Dufour, one of the best rugby players, was frequently mentioned when ex-rugby players were asked who the best player of all time was. After losing the state championship in 2021, he chose to play for Southeastern Louisiana University, where he was a vital asset to the team for all four years.

He also scored his first collegiate try (five points) in his freshman season against the University of Houston.

Another instance is Coutrado, who was a monster for the Saint Paul’s Rugby program. He then played for the NOLA Gold 19u team, where he was a vital part of the squad. He had also played for the Louisiana State University Tigers, where he was a core part of the team.

As a senior, he was named to the All-League first team, which was selected after he led his team to a televised match during halftime of a NOLA Gold Rugby game.

In 2022, Blanchard was a senior team captain, which made sense due to being vital to the team his whole career. After high school, he enrolled in Southeastern Louisiana University. At Southeastern, he was listed as one of their leading scorers as well.

Williams, another stud from the Class of 2022, was a vital part of the Saint Paul’s state championship run in 2021, where he scored a try after leading the team down the field. Even though there is no information about his college rugby career, he was a key component of the Saint Paul’s rugby program.

Overall, Saint Paul’s has had hundreds of highly successful athletes pass through its school, many of whom were not mentioned in this column, underscoring how prominent the sports programs and traditions are here.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Sebastian Baay